Billiard-counter.



' 1*. 0. HOBBS.

BILLIARD COUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1910.

1,031,266. Patented July 2,1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. HOBBS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE BRUNSWICK-BALKE- COLLEN DER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BILLIARD-COUNTER.

Specification of- Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Application filed November 15, 1910. Serial No. 592,494.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. Hones, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, whose postotlice address is care The Brunswick-Hallie Collender Company, 29-85 lVest Thirtysecond street, New York, N. Y., have invented a new and useful Improvement in Billiard-Counters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to devices for registering the scores of the players at the game of billiards, and to that class or type of devices for keeping the count, which consists in a string of buttons or movable units strung on a taut wire, usually located overhead in the billiard room and over the table, where the players can conveniently reach it with the playing end-portions of their cues, to shove up the buttons, to mark each score made-in a manner well known. And as is also well known, the billiard counter or marker, of this, almost universally employed, type, comprises two sets of slidable buttons or markers strung on the same wire and adapted to be moved thereon, each set comprising enough members to mark the sum of a whole game of usually, one hundred points; and the two sets being differently colored, usually, one being white and the other black, to respectively mark, or keep tally of the scores of the several players, who use, respectively, the white and the spot cueballs. In the use of this well known, and generally employed type of counter, or registering device, a long recognized practical objection to it lies in a liability of a but ton getting broken, now and then, and consequently detached from the wire, and the troublesome replacement of the broken-oft button by a new one. And'this objection to this type of billiard counter has led to the devisement, heretofore, of various constructions of substitute buttons, which can be applied to the wire of the string without taking down the latterwhich is a troublesome job.

The buttons are, and have been invariably composed of wood; of disk-like shape; and whenever one is broken (by being suddenly or roughly shoved up with the one of a heedless game player) to replace it by a duplicate, the wire has to be detached from its anchorage; some of the others unstrung; and a new one strung on; all of which involves much trouble. Hence, as I have said, substitute wooden buttons have been devised (and some of them patented long ago) made in separable parts, so that they may be put onto the wire and the parts reunited thereon, without taking down the string. But such expedients, to avoid the great trouble alluded to, have not for some reason ever gone into use, that I know of.

I propose to provide for use a string counter, the buttons, or units of which, strung on the wire, as usual, shall be nonbreakable, so to speak; and at the same time afford for use a counter, of this type, which shall be of unique appearance and which, in other respects, shall be more desirabl than any string counter heretofore made. And to these ends and objects my invention may be said to consist, primarily, in a string counter, the units or buttons of which are composed of sheet metal and which, hence, cannot be split, or broken, so as to become detached from the wireno matter how roughly they may be handled, in counting the game ;and, secondarily, in other details of construction of the string counter; as will be hereinafter fully described; and

as will be most particularly pointed out in the claim of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention relates, to make and use a string counter embodying, either wholly or partially, my invention, I will now proceed to more fully describe the latter by reference to the accompanying drawing, form ing part of this specification; and in which I have shown my said invention carried out in that form in which I have, so far, successfully practiced it; though modifications in the details of construction may, of course, be made without departing from the spirit of the main, or primary feature of the invention.

'In the drawing Figure l is a partial side elevation of a string counter fully embodying my inventiongdrawn to a scale of full size; but with portions of the string broken out and the remaining portions moved similar view of the other end-portion of the string, to illustrate particularly the take-up, or tightening device by which this end of the string wire is securely fastened to the room wall, and may be drawn and kept taut. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing one of the disk-like metallic buttons, detached, and, in edge-view, one of the pendant number tags seen (as No. 40 at Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view, on an exaggerated scale (about double full size) illustrating how are made the struck-up sheet metal two parts composing, when united, one of my improved counter buttons; and Fig. 6 is a detail view, on the same enlarged scale, showing in diametric section (the same as Fig. 5) the completed metallic button produced by the union of the two parts shown separately at Fig. 5. And in the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference.

D is the string wire on which all the counter buttons M, are strung and which has its opposite ends secured or anchored to the room walls, by means of the novel fastening devices seen, respectively, at the left hand and right hand sides of Fig. 1. The anchoring device at the left is composed of a metallic stand A, such as shown, the foot portion A of which is made fast, by wood screws A preferably, to a wooden block b which, in turn, is fastened, by screws 1) to the wall. And this metallic stand carries, pivotally mounted therein, at a a cam-lever A, (see Fig. 1) the cam-like portion a, of which coacts, when the lever is turned down into the position in which it is shown, (by the application of hand power to its vibratory end a to force the end of wire D downward and buckle or bend it into the oblong aperture in the bottom plate of the stand; so as to securely hold the wire against any endwise movement. The other end of the string wire D is wound or turned around on the periphery of a take-up drum G; into an aperture of which periphery the end of the wire is bent at (see Fig. 1) and which drum is axially mounted in the vertical sides of the metal. stand F; so that the protruding polygonal end I of its axis may be grasped by a key or wrench, to wind up the end of the wire and draw and hold fast the latter in a taut condition. And on the end of the drum is a fast ratchet-wheel H, with which engages a pawl J, as shown, to hold fast on the ratchet. Preferably, the metal, drum-carrying, stand F is fastened, by wood screws f (that pass through its rear plate portion f) to a wooden block 6 which, in turn, is fastened to the room wall L, as shown.

On the wire D are fastened, by set-screws e, the usual stop-collars E, against which the sliding counters M abut, in the usual manner; a pair being located at the vicinity of the middle of the string, lengthwise, against which to shove up the counters (of both the white and dark buttons) in marking a count made; and two at the vicinity of the ends of the wire to shove the sets of buttons back again ready for use as counters. Each one of the slidable buttons M is composed of sheet metal, pressed in dies or spun up, into the final shape shown, which, of course, is such that when they are strung on the wire D, with their hub-like portions in contact, there will be a sufficient space between their disk-like parts to permit the ready moving of one (or more) buttons in the usual manner, by the use of the end portions of a players cue. And each of these metallic buttons M, I preferably construct out of two sheet metal parts previously struck up, or in any manner made into the shapes seen at Fig. 5.

WVhere the right hand part comprises the disk-like portion m, with its turned over bead-like part m", and peripheral portion m and the hollow hub-like part m with its reverse central inwardly projecting hub 170*, the bore m of which is to form part of the eye through which the string wire D passes. And where the left hand portion, comprises the disk-like portion m (the perimeter m of which is to be inclosed within the partsm m of the right hand part in the completed device) also the same hublike part m inverted hub m and eye m of the right hand part of this figure. And when these two parts are united, in the juxtaposition seen at Fig. 6, by upsetting or spinning-over the peripheral portion m to embrace the perimeter of m in the formation of the bead-like perimeter m of the completed device, the result is the improved metallic button seen full size at Figs. 1 and 4. The number tags such as seen at Figs. 1 and 4, I make also of sheet metal, preferably; but the novel characteristic of my number tag lies in the attachment of the tag, pivotally, to the wire instead of having it, as heretofore in string counters, made fast to one of the counter buttons. I contemplate the making of these number tags in some one of several ways, as to its detail structure, and of various metallic or other substances; but always pivotally attached to the wire of the string. And at Fig. 1, I have shown two detail constructions, in one of which, (see No. 40 and also Fig. 4), the tag is pendantly connected with the wire D by means of two wire loops, or oblong links P, that, as plainly shown, couple the eyes of the tag with the wire D; and in the other of which, the stock of the sheet metal tag has two upward extensions each of which has its end looped, or bent around the string wire at it.

Of course, the numbers Q on the tags may be embossed thereon, or otherwise produced, and, in practising my invention these tags may be made of different colored metals for the white and black strings respectively; and by various combinations of differently colored tags and buttons I am able to produce strings to represent counters for the two players of difierent appearances.

Without meaning to restrict myself, in practising my invention, to any of the precise detail of structure shown, with reference to the primary part, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

In a string billiard counter, the combination with the series of buttons; and the wire on which they are strung, of depending number-tags flexibly and slidably arranged on said wire, and that are slidably moved thereon by the buttons which they respectively designate, but which are detached from said buttons; all in substantially the manner and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of November, 1910.

FRANK C. HOBBS.

In the presence of WM. H. LANSMITH, Jr., M. CoRooRAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

